Pim Fortuyn

Wilhelmus Simon Petrus "Pim" Fortuyn (19 February 1948-6 May 2002) was a Dutch university professor, columnist, and politician who formed his own party, the right-wing populist Pim Fortuyn List, in 2002. Fortuyn was popular, yet controversial, for his Islamophobia and for his anti-establishment platform, and he was assassinated by a far-left activist in 2002.

Biography
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuyn was born in Driehuis, Netherlands in 1948 to a Catholic family. He taught Marxist sociology at the University of Groningen and was a Dutch Labor Party member from 1974 to 1989. Fortuyn later became a public speaker, author, and press columnist, and he abandoned his former communist views in favor of becoming the leader of the right-wing populist Livable Netherlands party. Fortuyn, who was openly gay, was opposed to Muslim immigration due to his belief that Islam was a backwards culture which would threaten the rights of women and gays. He also sought to close the borders to Muslim immigrants, supported tougher measures against crime, opposed state bureaucracy, and wanted to reduce Dutch financial contribution to the European Union. In March 2002, his party became the largest in Rotterdam, as it combined pragmatism with populism. However, during the 2002 general elections, the controversial Fortuyn was shot dead by a left-wing animal rights activist at a Hilversum, North Holland radio studio's parking lot.